Chapter 9
#009 Chapter. Is It Good?
Bershia lay silently for a while, looking up at Asher.
The longer that silence lingered, the more pronounced the frown on Asher’s face became.
After a moment that sucked the humor out of the air, she found a bit of stability.
“Is it good?”
“Um, sorry…!”
“It hurts.”
“Ugh…!”
So, she could start joking around now.
Asher shut his eyes tight and trembled.
It was quite the delightful reaction, and to his credit, the technique itself wasn’t that painful.
Should she marvel at her body that felt so little pain even after crashing to the ground?
Or should she admire the technique that transcended weight classes?
Bershia rolled her eyes at Asher’s sulky look, claiming it was just a joke.
Then she asked,
“What’s that?”
“Oh, if it’s the technique, it’s from the East! It’s a method of using the direction of strength to subdue opponents!”
Asher excitedly rambled on, but there wasn’t much theoretical stuff Bershia could grasp.
Of course, it made sense. She hadn’t lived a life connected to physical activities.
However, she spiraled into curiosity.
“How do you know about Eastern martial arts?”
As far as Bershia knew, the Eastern continent was extremely closed off regarding the passing of martial arts secrets.
Moreover, the lack of exchanges with this continent was so profound that it was pretty shocking that someone who spent his entire life here had learned such peculiar martial arts from the East.
Asher, seemingly awkward, answered with a somewhat nostalgic and bittersweet smile.
“Oh, I grew up among mercenaries. One of the people who raised me was a martial artist from the East…”
Bershia understood.
This was a subject that shouldn’t be probed any further.
Everyone has things they’d prefer not to think about, and Bershia was no exception.
So, she merely responded with a casual, “Oh, I see.”
“Anyway! Now that you grasp what the technique is, it’s your turn to learn! It should be easy!”
With renewed enthusiasm, Asher dove back into teaching.
Bershia didn’t share that same enthusiasm, but she did participate in his lessons, albeit with a playful spirit.
“Strength is transmitted in a straight line. Once a punch is thrown, it’s difficult to control its direction. What you need to do is redirect that strength. You jab the side of the straight line to turn it into a curve…”
“Where are you touching? That’s….”
“It’s the elbow!”
“Sensitive area.”
“I know it isn’t!”
Describing it as a grappling art, the martial technique Asher taught was about grabbing and flipping the opponent’s body.
Bershia easily grasped the principle and learned it quickly.
The first reason was that the theory was straightforward, and the second was that Asher’s body was exceptional.
“Ah! Well done!”
Bershia, thinking she’d need to flip him over, was taken aback by her body’s almost automatic reaction!
She utilized the attack against Asher and spun him around, quickly becoming accustomed to the technique.
Of course, Asher didn’t just let it happen.
“If you say that, do you want to fall over onto the ground?”
“Haha, but the Saintess would get hurt! That can’t happen!”
What kind of strange ability was that?
Asher twisted his body and landed correctly, whether he fell forwards, backwards, or sideways.
It was as if he was a fly; no matter what, nothing worked against him.
With such a lackluster sense of humor, it made Bershia feel a bit defiant.
Thus, she kept trying the technique,
“Good! Just like that!”
“……”
Bershia acknowledged it.
‘This won’t do.’
It seemed impossible to do it with just simplicity.
“Phew! With this, I could easily take down a thug!”
Asher puffed out his chest proudly.
Bershia opted for an easier route.
“Thanks for teaching me how to use my body.”
“Um! It was all possible because the student is excellent!”
“Well, could you teach me something else now?”
“?”
“You kept feeling all over my body. I mean, that rigid….”
“Ah, stop it!”
Now was the moment.
Swish!
In one fluid motion, Bershia grabbed Asher’s wrist.
Asher blushed deeply, letting out a startled gasp as he attempted to escape.
That moment was a turning point.
They were close enough for whispers to be shared.
Bershia pointedly redirected her gaze.
“Wow, nice cleavage.”
“Eek…!”
Asher shrank back, surprised.
His stability was thrown off.
If she let him go, she could slam him right onto the ground.
Just thinking so had her body tracing the optimal path.
Thus, she was on the verge of pinning Asher to the ground.
“Really…!”
The tremor in his voice dripped with resentment.
But the technique couldn’t hold it back.
Swish—!
Another baffling occurrence unfolded before Bershia.
Asher, who should have been pinned, suddenly found his feet on the ground, while Bershia’s body spun in the air.
Her vision stretched, and her head grew dizzy.
Moments later,
BAM—!
An impact arrived that could not be compared to before.
Of course, it was only painful, but still.
“…Ouch.”
“Reflect on this! Did you really have to go that far? It’s disgraceful! It’s vulgar! Even common thugs wouldn’t fight like that!”
Asher yelled while adjusting his collar tightly with both hands.
Bershia felt the tingling sensation on her back and asked,
“What’s going on?”
“Advanced technique!”
“What? Teach me too.”
“Absolutely not! I won’t teach a student with such a bad attitude!”
With heavy footsteps, Asher turned to walk away.
Then he suddenly stopped, whipped his head around, and said,
“Reflect on this! Write me an apology letter! Until then, I won’t even speak to you!”
His eyes seemed to glisten, or was that just her imagination?
Bershia waved her hand while lying down.
“Thanks for your hard work.”
Well, it was fun, so it worked out.
Suddenly, she thought that Asher was providing quite a vibrant experience amid his monotonous life.
‘Perhaps a good choice for a bodyguard.’
At least, she didn’t regret it.
At least not yet.
Bershia slowly got up and dusted herself off.
Then she headed back to the tent to rest.
*
The next day, Bershia decided to show some sincerity and went to find Asher with an apology letter.
However, if he didn’t respond to her words, there would be no fun in teasing him.
The content was roughly, “From now on, I’ll express body parts in more medical terms.”
She imagined the scenario.
He’d probably get mad if she didn’t say such things.
If she countered with, “Isn’t forbidding the mention of body parts too coercive?” he might have a worthwhile reaction.
With these thoughts, Bershia arrived at what used to be her bedroom.
She encountered him right away.
“What’s going on?”
“……”
“Hm.”
Asher lay on the bed with a hot towel draped over him.
As she gazed over the scene, Asher’s voice trembled as he said it in a bashful whisper.
“…Muscle soreness.”
“Pardon?”
“It’s muscle soreness.”
Right.
Asher had executed such advanced techniques with Bershia’s body, which had never experienced physical training.
Against a trained knight, no less.
No matter how much he utilized strength against him, some minimum physical strength was required, and Asher regarded the pain that came with it lightly.
It was an error of judgment to think it was bearable, and now he had to face the consequences.
Bershia watched him in this state and couldn’t help but chuckle.
She remembered a certain expression.
“Don’t underestimate me. I was chosen as the Saintess’s bodyguard because I’m an exceptional student.”
Asher twitched!
“Haha, but the Saintess could get hurt. That can’t happen.”
Asher twitched again!
His every word drew energetic responses.
Soon, his neck and ears were flushed crimson.
His body trembled uncontrollably.
Bershia sat down on the edge of the bed.
She then began to tap the towel resting on his back with her fingers.
Asher gasped and writhed in pain.
“You really handled my body carelessly.”
“I’m sorry…!”
“With this, I guess the final inspection will be postponed.”
“W-wait! Huh?!”
Bershia pressed down on his lower back, causing him to jump up in surprise.
Bershia felt a rather pleasant mood wash over her.
This was the reason behind the smirk dancing on her lips.
Asher seemed so out of place that he didn’t even bring up the subject of apologies.
Perhaps she should save that for later.
With this thought, Bershia struck hard.
“If I become a muscle-bound mess from overworking my body, how will you take responsibility?”
At that moment, Asher suddenly whipped his head around.
Bershia was startled.
‘Huh.’
A genuinely stern contempt flickered across his face.
“Saintess.”
“…?”
“Muscles don’t just develop overnight.”
“……?”
“Muscle tone requires years of consistent training and painful diets to achieve.”
His voice held no ups and downs.
Bershia’s mouth shut tight.
“Don’t underestimate physical training.”
“…I’m sorry.”
Bershia sincerely apologized.
It felt like the right thing to do.